MANAGING STRESS AT WORK

Work can be tiring, especially on days when your body, soul, and brain are on energy-saving mode and you would just rather Netflix and chill at home than work on any task or attend that meeting with your client. On these days you just want to sit down and be taken care of.

It is understandable, we all feel the same way too but, sadly, while you are taking the day off work because of stress, the clock is ticking, more jobs are coming in and deadlines are fast approaching. You don’t want to be that virgin without oil when the deadline for these tasks finally arrives. As much as taking the day off might seem like a good way to ease work stress, you need to consider your tasks as they will just keep piling up.

The causes of work stress include but are not limited to the number of tasks on your desk, complex tasks, and procrastination; the queen of delay. Sometimes, the number of tasks you have to do within a certain period can put a lot of pressure on you.

There is no sure way to totally eliminate work stress, but there are ways to manage it. You can decide to keep reading to find out or continue cancelling hangouts with friends to meet up with deadlines.

Here are a few tips on how you can effectively manage stress at work:

1. Get up and grab a glass of water: I know how stressful and inconvenient it is to get up from your seat to grab something really quick. But guess what? You can’t work efficiently on that same spot for hours without water. Working when dehydrated increases the stress level. Then, your brain tends to process things slower. Our organs, including our brain, need water to function adequately. So, go grab that glass of water!
2. Track the most stressful task: Figure out the most stressful and time-consuming task. Grab it by the neck, break it into clusters and work on each cluster. This would help reduce stress and make your work easier.
3. Get sufficient information before starting: Nothing is more frustrating than finding out a bit of information about the tasks halfway into the task. It is important to get all the information about the task before working on it. Getting an accurate brief on the task will prevent stress.
4. Attempt the easy tasks first: Starting the easy tasks first is one sure way to get tasks done as soon as possible. The good thing about doing the easy task first is the fact that it gives more time to work on cumbersome tasks. This will help reduce the pressure on you because you know some things are off your plate. It will put you in the perfect frame of mind for the harder tasks.
5. Take breaks in between work: I know taking a break doesn’t seem like a good idea when you have so much work to do. But it is one of the most effective ways to be productive. While working on that task, take breaks to stretch your legs, grab a pie, talk to a colleague, watch a comedy skit, listen to your favourite song, or tell your spouse you love them. Taking breaks while working is a good way to recharge yourself.

We can’t exactly say we won’t go through stress at work. But we can keep it on a minimal level with these tips. We hope you try it out and give us your feedback in the comment section. Gracias!